We know that we post a lot of what John Oliver does in his excellent long-form segments on the even excellenter Last Week Tonight. But this, probably more than any of them, is an exceptionally timely and important watch.
The US Supreme Court’s decision to allow same-sex marriage across the United States (or, more correctly, ruling that States can’t prevent it through law) was undoubtedly a huge day for America and the LGBTQI community. But the fact of the matter remains that its still just one big step on a journey that remains ongoing.
And in particular, it’s the Transgender community which is in focus here. In a year where transgender people in the media have arguably never been more visible, their treatment by the cisgendered population – and by mainstream cis-focused media – by and large remains as something of a novelty or curiosity, rather than as actual human beings with their own gender agency.
Worse still, transphobia remains rife within the community, even bleeding into areas of cities previous thought as being “safe” zones thanks to things like alcohol lockout laws – the assault levelled against Sydney musician Stephanie McCarthy at Newtown’s Townie is a shameful reminder that that scab on our collective knee frustratingly remains.
So with all that said – and now more than ever – this an incredibly important, and perhaps eye-opening watch. Not just for American culture, but for us and the rest of the world as well.
Treatment of transgender people is a civil rights issue, and no one wants to end up on the wrong side of history.
Posted by Last Week Tonight with John Oliver on Monday, 29 June 2015
Show this to your friends, your family, everyone. It’s a vital, vital thing.
